Trampoline
by cr8vgrl
Summary: Caitlyn discovers that trampolines are the best birthday presents, even though they involve exercise. 101 Prompts Challenge


**This is Prompt No. 33-Trampoline**

When Caitlyn had opened the enormous box earlier that day, surrounded by family members that had ridiculously-expectant grins on their faces, she hadn't really known what to expect. She certainly had not expected what was in the box when she had finished ripping off the packaging tape. "Dad wrapped this," she grumbled, looking up at her father. "Didn't you?"

Her father smiled at her, completely unruffled by her gruff manner. "Maybe," he said.

Inside the box was a jumble of parts, screws, and netting. Caitlyn raised an eyebrow in disdain. It wasn't the box full of CDs she had been hoping it would be. Of course it wasn't! Who in her family would actually buy her what she had asked for? "Um, thanks?" she said questioningly, wondering whether or not she should actually be thanking her family for-well, whatever it was.

Her brother snickered next to her on the couch. "You don't know what it is, do you?" he asked, knowing the answer before he had even spoken.

Caitlyn bit back a retort. _"You should be a lawyer when you grow up,"_ she thought instead. _"You're so good at answering questions you already have the answers to that you'll fit right in with the legal world."_ Out loud, she pasted on her famous I-don't-really-care face and said, "I was going to guess that it was something to do with my music mixing business, but I highly doubt it, since I see no parts that I'm familiar with."

Her brother laughed. "No, it's nothing to do with music."

Caitlyn smirked at him, trying to keep her disappointment to herself. "Of course not," she said contritely. "How silly of me."

When she didn't respond further, her mom leaned forward in her chair and prodded, "Don't you want to know what it is?"

Caitlyn returned her mom's gaze and said, "I'm sure you're about to tell me." _"Whether I want to know or not,"_ she added silently.

"It's a trampoline!" her mom cried, as if it was the greatest gift anyone could have ever imagined.

Caitlyn's face fell even more. Great. Exercise. Just what she'd always wanted. Almost immediately, she regretted letting her features slip. Her mom, having noticed the utter excitement with which she greeted the news, quickly asked, "Do you not like it?" The anxiety in her voice made something twinge inside Caitlyn.

"Yes," she insisted, rather half-heartedly. "I do like it."

Caitlyn's mom clapped her hands together. "Wonderful. You'll set it up for her, won't you?" she asked, addressing Caitlyn's father.

He, in turn, smiled down at her and nodded. "Of course I will," he promised, "as soon as we have cake."

Caitlyn's brother poked her in the ribs. "Great!" he exclaimed. "I can't wait to see Caitlyn try out her new form of exercise!"

Caitlyn's father missed the sarcasm that coated the remark and said, "I'm glad you're so excited over your sister's present, son. You won't mind helping set it up then."

Caitlyn tried not to snicker as her brother's face fell, much as hers had done earlier, and he shot a glare her way. "Thank you," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice, heaping further coals upon her brother's head.

Knowing that the rest of the family was watching, he just growled out, "Sure thing," and slumped into the kitchen, grumbling something else under his breath.

Caitlyn, some of her high spirits restored, turned to the other family members standing around and said sweetly, "Cake, anyone?"

And her sweetness had paid off, for now, on the eve of her birthday, Caitlyn was lying in the middle of her new, springy trampoline, staring up at the stars and letting her mind wander. She grinned again, thinking back and remembering that everyone in the house had been able to hear her brother's complaints, but had just ignored them and had cautioned Caitlyn to do the same, as though she needed to be told!

"You look happy," someone said behind her.

Caitlyn jumped, and the trampoline bowed under her. She turned and found her neighbor (and secret crush) standing there next to the side of the trampoline, grinning at her. "Hey, Nate," she said, trying to appear as though he hadn't riled her.

"Sorry I scared you," he apologized. Caitlyn gave up trying, for Nate knew her, and she knew him, in a way that no one else did.

"You did," she admitted, "but I'm okay now."

Nate stood for a moment, surveying the trampoline. "Interesting," he mused. "I wouldn't have taken you for a trampoline person."

Caitlyn smiled. "You'd be right. It was a rather…unexpected surprise. I was hoping for something to do with music."

Nate smiled. "I wonder why," he said dryly. The elusive smile that rarely graced his face came again and he pulled a small package out of his back pocket. "This is for you," he explained. "Happy birthday."

Caitlyn felt her heart melt, metaphorically of course, and she reached out to take the package. "Nate," she said, motioning for him to come and sit with her on the trampoline, "you shouldn't have!"

Nate shrugged. "I wanted to. You're my favorite neighbor."

Something about the way he hesitated before he said "neighbor," something about the way he looked at her when he said it, made Caitlyn's melted heart start beating faster. She delved into the package to keep Nate from seeing the flush on her cheeks and concentrated on getting through the layers of tape. "You're as bad as my dad," she muttered.

Nate watched her, smiling. "Speaking of your dad," he said, "did he make your brother help him today?"

Caitlyn realized that he was talking about her brother's almost constant complaining and she asked, "You heard that?"

Nate cocked an eyebrow at his friend. "Caity," he said seriously. "The whole neighborhood heard it."

Caitlyn blushed. "Oops," she said, but her grin spoiled the effect. She finally succeeded in ripping the tape off the package and quickly torn the paper off. "Nate!" she gasped, her cheeks turning pink with excitement, "how did you know?"

Nate laughed. "I don't know," he said. "You've only mentioned it a thousand times or so." His face became serious as he glanced at the Music Mixing 101 DVD she held in her hands. "Do you really like it?" he asked, his eyes begging her to be honest.

"I love it," she assured him, setting the DVD and the torn-to-shreds papers safely on the ground next to the trampoline.

"Good," Nate said, nodding his head as though to assure himself that she really liked it. There was a comfortable silence for a moment, and then Nate remarked, "We should play a game."

Caitlyn glanced sideways at him and asked, "What sort of game?"

Nate pretended to think, although Caitlyn knew that he already had a game in mind. "Crack the Egg," he finally said.

Caitlun stared at him for a moment. "Excuse me?" she asked, blinking. "Is this a violent game?"

Nate chuckled. "No," he said with a shake of his head. "It's fun. Watch," he commanded, moving to the center of the trampoline and sitting cross-legged. "See how I'm sitting?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm the egg," Nate explained. "It's your job to jump around and try to get me to fall backwards, forwards, or to come uncrossed. Got it?"

Caitlyn groaned. "This _is_ a violent game," she said in mock despair. "It involves exercise!"

Nate shook his head in wonderment. "I don't understand how you can jump around and do very strange things on stage that leave you out of breath, yet you are so opposed to exercise." He motioned to the trampoline. "This is not that difficult!"

Caitlyn rolled her eyes and stood, moving around the trampoline, jumping as hard as she could, but Nate wouldn't move. He bounced a little from the force of her jumps, but he stayed completely "uncracked."

"You're uncrackable," Caitlyn whined.

Nate sighed, but then a strange glint came into his eyes and he said, "Come on, Caity! One more good jump."

That wheedling tone would be the death of her, Caitlyn realized, but she huffed and gave one more hard jump. Just as she did, Nate leaned back and uncrossed his legs, and the change of direction made Caitlyn fall right on top of him. "Oof!" she exclaimed, and as she opened her eyes, her face heated up, for she found herself eye to eye with a grinning, triumphant Nate.

She moved to get up, but he deftly rolled her over so that he was looking down at her. He moved closer and whispered in her ear, "You cracked me." Then, before Caitlyn could come up with a witty, biting reply, he was kissing her, and she lost all sense of time and reason.

When Nate pulled away, he rolled over next to her with a grin that appeared to have an ambition to reach his ears and said, "It's a lovely night."

Caitlyn grinned as well and they laid there on the trampoline for a long while, simply gazing at the stars. Finally, she rolled so that she was snuggled up next to Nate and whispered something in his ear that made him smile all over again.

"Trampolines are the best birthday presents."

**A/N: Comments? Please Review!**


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